Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Friday 18 February 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money is involved in the double payment of subsidy to some 120 farming participants in agri-environmental schemes, which schemes are involved, and whether these participants will have future payments withheld if repayment is not sought.

Ross Finnie: Agri-environment stock disposal payments of up to £485,000 may have been made to farming and crofting participants in the Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme, Countryside Premium Scheme and Heather Moorland Scheme who were continuing to claim Sheep Annual Premium using quota rights which ought to have been frozen. I have already announced that I am not minded to recover the double payments, but the decision will ultimately rest on EC State Aid approval. Entitlement to future stock disposal payments will depend on whether producers opt to continue with the agri-environment stock disposal option. Those who choose this option will have frozen a number of quota rights equivalent to the number of animals for which they will receive headage payments under the agri-environment schemes.

Childcare

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to give its response to the recent consultation on regulation of early education and childcare.

Peter Peacock: We expect to set out in March our conclusions following the consultation exercise on regulation of early education and childcare.

Communities

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what schemes it currently supports which facilitate community groups producing documentary films about their own communities.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Great Northern Social Inclusion Partnership and the Working for Communities programme in Aberdeen support community film and video film making. Scottish Screen supports the Glasgow Film and Video Workshop’s Cineworks, which is open to applications throughout Scotland.

Community Care

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend payments under the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 to people over the age of 65 and between the ages of 16 and 18.

Iain Gray: We are currently reviewing the scope of the Community care (Direct payments) Act 1996 and associated guidance. The review addresses a number of wide-ranging issues which require careful consideration, including whether to extend the scheme to people aged 65 years or over and young people between the ages of 16 and 18.

Council Tax

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any proposals to reduce the cut off point for pursuing council tax debts from six years after debt falls due to five years, as is the case with civil debts.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. The period of prescription in the case of council tax debts, as for certain civil debts, is 20 years. The Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, at Schedule 1, sets out which obligations prescribe after five years. Those obligations which do not come under that Schedule prescribe, in the main, after 20 years.

Domestic Abuse

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to aid the police and Women’s Aid in combating domestic violence following the statement from Strathclyde Police that reported violent attacks on partners have increased by 75% in the past year.

Jackie Baillie: We are working to improve service provision for victims of domestic abuse throughout Scotland through the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse and the Domestic Abuse Service Development fund.

Dyslexia

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what would be the estimated cost to Scottish public authorities of classifying dyslexia as a disability.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Such information has not been collected. The classification of disabilities is a reserved matter.

E-Commerce

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which Minister last met with Her Majesty’s Government’s Minister for e-commerce and what was discussed.

Henry McLeish: The First Minister met Patricia Hewitt at the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on the Knowledge Economy held in Edinburgh on 11 February. The discussion centred on areas where joint working and exchanges of information between the United Kingdom government and devolved administrations would be beneficial.

E-Commerce

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to set up mechanisms to measure and monitor the development of e-commerce in Scotland.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is working in conjunction with the ONS and DTI through the Inter-departmental Group on E-commerce statistics, set up following the PIU Report E-commerce@its.best.uk.

  The Executive is also working with Scottish Enterprise on the annual benchmarking exercise on the business uptake of information and communications technologies in Scotland, which supplements the UK benchmarking exercise carried out by DTI.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Ministers plan to visit St Mary’s Episcopal Primary School in Dunblane to discuss the effects of the abolition of self-governing status for schools during the parliamentary stages of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Bill.

Peter Peacock: We have no plans to do so.

Education

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary and secondary teachers have so far been allocated funding through the teachers’ computers allowance, and what guidelines and mechanisms are used in the distribution of this fund to teachers.

Peter Peacock: In the first pilot phase of the Computers for Teachers scheme, 1,974 primary teachers, 2,783 secondary teachers and 117 SEN teachers have been offered support.

  The scheme is administered by the Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET) on behalf of the Scottish Executive. It is open to all GTC-registered teachers in publicly funded primary and secondary schools. Successful applicants can claim £200 against the cost of a computer that meets or exceeds the minimum specification drawn up by SCET and that was purchased after the announcement of the scheme on 22 November 1999. The payment is a taxable benefit, but the Scottish Executive has made arrangements to settle the tax and National Insurance centrally in addition to the £200 allocation to each teacher. No liability will fall on the individual teachers.

  In this first phase sufficient funds were made available to support all teachers who applied.

Education

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish targets in schools and across the workforce for IT literacy.

Peter Peacock: Through the Programme for Government we are committed to ensuring that by 2003 school leavers have an understanding of information technology. For adults, we are considering whether discounts on computer literacy courses might be offered through individual learning accounts in order to increase IT literacy across the workforce.

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to distribute the £41.783 million in the excellence fund which has not yet been allocated to local authorities.

Mr Sam Galbraith: : £28.333 million is being distributed through the programmes noted in the following table:-

  


Undistributed Excellence Fund

  

Amount (millions)

  £ 




Reducing Class Sizes

  

15.6

  



New Community Schools

  

8.0

  



Specialist Provision

  

4.733

  



  Most of this funding has already been allocated and authorities have been advised about the procedures for claiming the rest.

  Authorities will be advised about the balance of funding, £13.45 million, in due course and following the report of the McCrone Committee.

Environment

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the powers available to various bodies to deal with dangerous trees.

Mr Frank McAveety: There are likely to be numerous enabling powers available to various bodies to deal with dangerous trees, dependent on the nature of the problem. These include section 91 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Environment

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the law in respect of dangerous trees.

Mr Frank McAveety: No, as we are not aware of any problems with the existing legislation governing dangerous trees.

Food Labelling

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken or is taking to protect the continuation of Scotch beef labelling and similar Scottish labelling in the European Union and whether it perceives any adverse implications from EU legislation.

Ross Finnie: You will be aware that the European Commission has proposed a compulsory system of beef labelling that is projected to be in place on 1 September 2000. The Scottish Executive’s objective is to seek exemption from these compulsory regulations for beef covered by either a Protected Geographical Indication ("Scotch" beef) or a Protected Denomination of Origin ("Orkney" beef) as described by EC regulation 2081/92. This objective is fully reflected in the UK position in negotiations, but I was able to make this point at the Agriculture Council in December and also more recently, my officials have in Council working groups convened on 11, 12 and 27 January.

Fuel Duty

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether fuel duty rebate will be extended to mobile shops.

Sarah Boyack: Fuel duty rebate may only be paid on services which are registered with the Traffic Commissioner as local bus services. We have no plans to extend the scheme to include mobile shops.

Health

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish by health board area the costs of the programme of immunisation against meningococcal C infection.

Susan Deacon: The costs of the meningococcal C immunisation programme, £14 million in the first year, £31 million over the three years to 2001-02, will be met by the Scottish Executive and will be broken down across health board area.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the £305,017 paid to Lorna Naismith, former Director of Personnel at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, represents value for money in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: Lorna Naismith was given early retirement on grounds of organisational change due to Trust reconfiguration. She did not receive the sum mentioned, the major part of that figure - £268,000 - represents the capitalisation costs for the penn which the employer is obliged to set aside to cover future payment of the pension until normal retiral age. The Trust reconfiguration process was a managed one which has been audited and shown to provide value for money to the NHS in Scotland. The process is expected to save £100 million for investment in patient care.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1734 by Iain Gray on 3 December 1999, whether it will specify the number of beds currently blocked in each of the health board areas for which figures are available.

Iain Gray: The information requested is set out in the table below. The figures, updated to include figures for the board areas not available at the time of the question referred to, are the product of an informal survey of health boards conducted in October 1999. From 1 April this year the information will be collected quarterly against agreed national definitions and will be published thereafter.

  Health boards, NHS Trusts and local authorities continue to work together to remove the causes and reduce the periods of delays to discharge.

  


Health Board

  

No. of Delayed Discharges 

  – as at October 1999

  




Argyll & Clyde

  

425

  



Ayrshire & Arran

  

226

  



Borders

  

6

  



Dumfries & Galloway

  

28

  



Fife

  

149

  



Forth Valley

  

225

  



Grampian

  

208

  



Greater Glasgow

  

150*

  



Highland

  

79

  



Lanarkshire 

  

219

  



Lothian

  

447

  



Orkney

  

10

  



Shetland 

  

2

  



Tayside

  

154

  



Western Isles

  

63

  



TOTAL

  

2391

  



Available staffed 

  beds

  

35,524

  



  *Based on locally agreed protocol for delayed discharge.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of births were induced in each health board area in each of 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Susan Deacon: Figures for the calendar years 1997, 1998 and 1999 are shown in the table below.

  


Health Board Area
of Treatment

  

1997

  

1998

  

1999P




Percentage of births 

  induced

  



Argyll and Clyde

  

28.9

  

27.7

  

30.1

  



Ayrshire and Arran

  

20.5

  

23.2

  

27.0

  



Borders

  

16.3

  

19.0

  

22.2

  



Dumfries and Galloway

  

16.5

  

22.0

  

21.0

  



Fife

  

24.4

  

24.0

  

23.8

  



Forth Valley

  

29.5

  

30.0

  

36.1

  



Grampian

  

18.9

  

22.7

  

25.2

  



Greater Glasgow

  

26.7

  

31.5

  

34.0

  



Highland

  

27.9

  

26.6

  

27.7

  



Lanarkshire

  

23.1

  

21.6

  

21.8

  



Lothian

  

23.0

  

24.0

  

24.0

  



Orkney

  

2.2

  

0.8

  

1.6

  



Shetland

  

8.7

  

9.9

  

14.1

  



Tayside

  

19.9

  

19.9

  

23.3

  



Western Isles

  

24.8

  

30.3

  

28.6

  



Scotland

  

23.7

  

25.5

  

27.1

  



  P Provisional

  Notes:

  The figures exclude home births and births at non-NHS hospitals.

  From 1998, where four or more babies are involved in a delivery, birth details are recorded only for the first three babies delivered. Prior to 1998, birth details were recorded only for the first two babies delivered.

  The 1999 figures are as yet provisional.

  Year end is 31 March.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what was the average length of time, in days, spent in hospital by mothers after the birth of (a) their first child and (b) subsequent children in the years 1990-91, 1994-95 and 1998-99.

Susan Deacon: The table below shows the average length of time, in days, spent in hospital after the birth of the first child and subsequent children in the years 1990-91, 1994-95 and 1998-99.

  There has been a gradual reduction in the length of time spent in hospital by post-natal mothers, which reflects changed practices. This has also responded to the wishes of mothers to leave hospitals earlier and to the change of policy in providing more post-natal care by midwives in the community. However the provision of care is based on a flexible approach and mothers who feel they would benefit from a longer stay can do so.

  Length of post-natal stay (days)

  

 

1990-91

  

1994-5

  

1998-99

  



All maternities

  

3.9

  

3.3

  

2.9

  



First maternities

  

4.6

  

4.1

  

3.6

  



Other maternities

  

3.2

  

2.7

  

2.4

  



  Notes:

  1. Maternities are defined as pregnancies which result in a live or stillbirth, multiple pregnancies counting only as one.

  2. Excludes maternities delivered at home or at non-NHS hospitals.

  3. The figures for 1998-99 are as yet provisional.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it estimates the proposal by Greater Glasgow Health Board to close the maternity unit at the Queen Mother’s Hospital while retaining the units at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Southern General Hospital would have on (a) the number of staff employed in maternity units in Greater Glasgow Health Board area; (b) the average number of hours worked per week by staff employed in maternity units in Greater Glasgow Health Board area; (c) the number of induced births and (d) the average time spent in hospital by mothers giving birth.

Susan Deacon: It is for Greater Glasgow Health Board to determine how to organise services to meet the health care needs of the local population. Such provision must take account of declining numbers of births and changes in provision across the country, which reflect a shift in balance towards community provision. Further details are available from Greater Glasgow Health Board.

  In considering the provision and configuration of maternity services, local health boards are expected to take account of the 1993 Policy Review of the Provision of Maternity Services in Scotland. This recommended a move to increasing the choice for the woman, greater continuity of care and a move to midwife-led care while at the same time maintaining the safety of both mother and baby.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional money, over and above anything previously announced before 17 January 2000, will be made available to health boards to meet the national pay settlements announced on that day, whether, as stated by the Prime Minister, health spending is "too low at the moment" and what plans it has to rectify that position.

Susan Deacon: The costs of the national pay settlements announced on 17 January 2000 will be met from within the allocations made to health boards for 2000-01 which were announced on 6 January 2000. These allocations provide a 5% increase over the 1999-2000 general allocations.

  Health spending in Scotland is at record levels with expenditure of £5.2 billion planned for 2000-01. We have pledged in the Programme for Government to substantially increase NHS spending in real terms over the coming years. The actual increases will be determined in the context of the 2000 Spending Review.

Health

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure that routine health checks are carried out in state schools.

Susan Deacon: The 1996 Policy Review of Health Services in Schools placed the responsibility for the provision of Health Services in Schools at local level with Primary Care Trusts. The review recommended a shift away from routine physical examinations towards a more selective approach based on assessment of individual needs.

  The School Health Service is not an isolated service but contributes with others towards the overall health of the child. Before starting school a child will have had a programme of health screening and immunisation. During this period any specific problems or needs will be identified. Any special needs identified will then be picked up by the School Health Service and the General Practitioner. This means that the needs of the child should be addressed at an early stage. Most children will receive a comprehensive physical examination that includes growth, vision and hearing in primary one. Thereafter the school nurse or Doctor provides health education, immunisation and selected examinations of certain children whenever it is felt they are needed.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to place defibrillators at public locations in Scotland in order to reduce the number of deaths caused by heart attacks.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans currently to place defibrillators at public locations in Scotland.

  The evidence for improved outcomes resulting from the placing of defibrillators in public locations is not as clear-cut as might be assumed. A number of important issues would have to be considered including the recruitment and training of members of the public to undertake basic Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and use defibrillators. This would be crucial if members of the public are not to be put at risk as a result of inappropriate use of such equipment.

  I have therefore asked the Coronary Heart Disease Task Force to provide advice to the Executive on the risk:benefit analysis of such a programme.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will comment on the concern recently expressed by the Chairman of Yorkhill NHS Trust, Professor F Cockburn, that children’s health needs had not been addressed by the Arbuthnott Review.

Susan Deacon: It is not the case that children's health needs have not been addressed in the Arbuthnott Review. First, the proposed resource allocation formula includes a set of age and sex cost weights based on evidence about the use made of services by different age and sex groups. These show, for example, that children under five make more intensive use of services than children in older age groups. Second, the proposed formula also involves an assessment of the influence of morbidity and life circumstances on the relative healthcare needs of the total population of each health board area. This assessment is based on an analysis of the use of services by people from different areas in Scotland, including the relative use of health services by children from affluent and deprived areas.

  The Yorkhill NHS Trust submitted comments on the Arbuthnott Report during the consultation period. As you know, I asked Sir John Arbuthnott to reconvene the Steering Group to consider the comments made on the report and to provide me with revised recommendations. The concerns raised by Professor Cockburn will be considered as part of this further work.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the relocation of 300 people from Lennox Castle learning disabilities unit over the next two years will not compromise patient care.

Susan Deacon: The continuing care and support of patients discharged from Lennox Castle Hospital is key to the success of the initiative. Greater Glasgow Health Board, Greater Glasgow Primary Care Trust and the Local Authorities involved have jointly planned the alternative care so that it specifically meets the ongoing needs of the patients, with the aim that no patient is discharged until an appropriate care package is in place.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that Lothian Health Board will have no increase in its budget for oncology and renal services until 2003-04.

Susan Deacon: Lothian Health Board receives an annual general revenue allocation. It is for the Board to determine within the funds available how to manage and deliver local healthcare services that meet the healthcare needs of their resident population, including oncology and renal services. For 2000-01 Lothian Health Board has been allocated a unified budget of £571.5 million, an increase of 5.4% over that for 1999-2000 .

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in the light of the recent Malnutrition Advisory Group Report indicating that 78% of malnourished patients admitted to hospital continue to lose weight in hospital.

Susan Deacon: I welcome any contribution to the store of knowledge about malnutrition.

  Malnutrition in hospitals has been the subject of research over a number of years and the complex nature of the effect of illness on indicators of nutritional status is a factor that has to be taken into account. It is important to make a distinction between malnutrition due to lack of nutritious food and that caused by the metabolic response to illness and injury.

  We are however taking steps to tackle malnutrition on a number of fronts. The Scottish Executive Health Department has asked health boards to apply nutritional standards in all NHS facilities and a multi-disciplinary advisory group is taking forward further work on this. In the wider context, the Scottish Diet Action Plan, with the help of Scottish Executive funding, provides the framework for a range of initiatives. These include promoting healthy diet in local communities and schools; assessing and managing nutritional status in the community through district nursing and health visiting services; and applying rigorous standards to dietary needs in nursing homes. Nutrition of elderly people also features in our Clinical Effectiveness Programme.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all training needs for staff in the health service in Scotland will be fully met from the existing budget.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive supports pre-registration and postgraduate education for nurses, midwives, pharmacists, doctors and dentists. In addition, NHS organisations make a major investment locally in a wide variety of educational and training activities.

  The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of learning for the effective delivery of health care. It has published Learning Together, a Strategy for education and lifelong learning for the NHS in Scotland. Learning Together provides a framework for identifying learning needs to support service provision and for targeting the major investment in education and training made by the NHS in Scotland more effectively.

  £6 million is being made available over the next three years to fund innovative education projects within the NHS, which promote the themes and aims of Learning Together and support modern, quality, responsive healthcare through learning.

Highlands and Islands

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the report Economic Impacts of Road Fuel Prices in the Highlands and Island s of January 2000 by EKOS Ltd, commissioned by Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and, if so, whether it accepts the findings of the report and in particular the comparisons between (a) the average weekly expenditure per household in the Highlands and Islands on motoring costs including purchase, maintenance, insurance and tax and motor fuel and elsewhere in Scotland and the UK; (b) the average cost of motor fuel in the Highlands and Islands and the Scottish and UK averages; (c) the average age of private vehicles in the Highlands and Islands and elsewhere in the UK; (d) income levels in the Highlands and Islands and elsewhere in the UK, and (e) the real purchasing power of residents of the Highlands and Islands and that of the Scottish and UK population.

Sarah Boyack: We have a copy of the EKOS report Economic Impacts of Road Fuel Prices in the Highlands and Islands and have no reason to doubt the figures presented. We recognise that higher fuel costs remains a matter of considerable concern for those living and working in rural areas and are committed to building on the current initiatives, including the £90 million Public Transport Fund and the £14 million Rural Transport Fund. The latter fund has supported over 300 new or improved bus services, over 70 community transport projects, and assistance for petrol station tank and pump replacement.

Justice

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce the period of time during which a summary warrant can be enforced from the current time limit of 20 years.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. The long negative prescription period of 20 years is not peculiar to summary warrants but also applies to decrees granted under the usual procedure.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how capital spending by Scottish local authorities in 2000-01, excluding PFI projects, compares to local authority capital spending in 1990-91 (in current prices) and, if its assessment differs from CoSLA’s statement in convention item 4 on 10 December that "ten years ago, the Government limited capital spend by Scottish councils to some £700 million at current prices; next year the level of expenditure, excluding PFI, which has been authorised by the Executive is almost half the amount", whether it will explain how it arrived at its figure.

Mr Jack McConnell: Local authority capital expenditure in 1990-91, including water and sewerage and housing, was £1.7 billion at current prices. Total capital spending by local authorities in 2000-01 will not be known until the end of that financial year, therefore, a comparison is not possible. I have, however announced the provisional non-housing allocations which also no longer include water and sewerage for 2000-01: question S1W-2651 refers.

  In practice, the Government only limits the part of local authority capital expenditure which it supports through capital allocations. Further information on capital expenditure by local authorities is given in my letter of 9 September sent in response to questions S1W-743 and S1W-744. A copy is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Local Government Finance

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to local authorities’ pension schemes in Scotland has been as a result of the abolition of advance corporation tax (ACT) in July 1997.

Mr Jack McConnell: In order to meet the costs arising from the abolition of Advanced Corporation Tax credits, provision of £27 million, £38.5 million and £38.5 million has been included in the local government settlements for 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 respectively. These figures were based on local authorities’ own actuarial estimates.

Local Government Finance

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Glasgow City Council and other employers contracted by the council to provide services in Glasgow contributed to pension schemes by way of employers’ contributions in each of the last four years.

Mr Jack McConnell: Information on employer contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme fund in the form requested is not held centrally.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many lone parents have gone back on to income support having finished employment placements found through the New Deal in Scotland.

Henry McLeish: The New Deal for Lone Parents programme does not offer temporary employment placements that would remove people from Income Support. The programme has, however, by the end of November 1999, helped 3,480 lone parents into jobs.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as a matter of courtesy, MPs are notified of Ministerial decisions on structure plans and local plans or to call in proposals by planning authorities to issue planning consents contrary to approved development plans and notifications of intention to develop by local authorities, if so, how long this practice has existed and, if not, when this practice ceased.

Sarah Boyack: It has never been the practice automatically to notify MPs or MSPs of Ministerial decisions and there are no plans to introduce any such arrangements. Copies of letters announcing such decisions are, however, sent to Members who have made representations or have corresponded with Ministers about a particular issue.

Police

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many motorists have been stopped under the Strathclyde Police operation Chat Point and of those how many, expressed as both a figure and a percentage of the total, were subsequently found to have committed an offence.

Mr Jim Wallace: While this is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, I understand that Strathclyde Police Chat Points are a crime prevention exercise aimed at educating car drivers on how to avoid vehicle crime. Sites are chosen, such as car parks, where vehicle crime is common. Police officers stop drivers to provide them with information on how to prevent vehicle crime. Some 20,000 drivers have been spoken to under this initiative. Chat Points are not intended to detect offenders and no arrests have been reported.

Police

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers covered each parliamentary constituency in May 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not available.

Public Bodies

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether age restrictions apply to membership of non-departmental public bodies and, if so, what age restrictions apply to which bodies.

Mr Jack McConnell: Age restrictions apply to the following public bodies:

  


Body

  

Age Restriction

  



Caledonian MacBrayne 

  Ltd

  

Members must be under 80.

  



Children’s Panels

  

There is an upper age limit of 

  60 on panel members although this may be waived in exceptional 

  circumstances. Members are expected to retire on the 15 May 

  following their 65th birthday, though in very exceptional circumstances 

  exemptions will be allowed.

  



Crofters Commission

  

Members must be over 21 years of 

  age.

  



Deer Commission for 

  Scotland

  

Members must be over 21 years of 

  age.

  



General Teaching Council 

  for Scotland

  

Members must be under 70. The Standards 

  in Scotland’s Schools Etc Bill before the Parliament provides 

  for this restriction to be abolished.

  



Land Tribunal for Scotland

  

Members are expected 

  to retire when they reach the age of 72.

  



Rent Assessment Panel for Scotland

  

Members must be under 

  70 when their appointment expires.

  



  For the remainder of public appointments, no age restrictions apply.

Public Relations

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public relations, information, marketing and advertising staff it employs, what are the costs of such staff and what are the overall publicity, public relations, information and advertising budgets of each of the Scottish Executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, NHS trusts and local public spending bodies for which it is responsible.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive Information Directorate communicates, explains and presents Executive policy and information to the news media, and directly to the public through publicity material and advertising. It currently employs a total of 52 staff, in the following areas:

  


Information Officers

  

26

  



Publicity Officers

  

4

  



Visits Staff 

  

4

  



Administrative Support Staff

  

18

  



  The Information Directorate staff payroll budget for 1999-2000 is £1,376,932. The non-staff budget is £445,700.

  Information on the publicity, public relations, information and advertising budgets of individual Scottish Executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, NHS trusts and local public spending bodies is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Raptors

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-891 by Sarah Boyack on 24 August 1999, whether it will publish the outcomes and outputs achieved as a result of the grants awarded in each year from 1996-97 to 1999-2000 to the Scottish Raptor Study Groups.

Sarah Boyack: No. Publication of information gathered by Raptor Study Groups on Scottish Natural Heritage’s behalf is a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage. I have, however, arranged for SNH to write to Mr Neil with a view to setting up a meeting to provide a briefing on the work of Raptor Study Groups and SNH's involvement with them.

Red Diesel

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the current arrangements for enforcing the regulations pertaining to the use of red diesel.

Sarah Boyack: The enforcement of the regulations pertaining to the use of red diesel is a reserved matter.

Transport

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is required to authorise PFI/PPP funding arrangements for upgrading the A701 and, if so, whether Midlothian Council has applied for such authorisation, whether it has approved any application, and whether any proposals by Midlothian Council to upgrade the A701 have direct or indirect financial implications for the budget of the Scottish Executive and any future financial allocations made to Midlothian Council for transport projects.

Sarah Boyack: Midlothian Council originally applied to the Scottish Office for the development of the A701 proposals as a PFI project and £2.5 million additional capital consent was awarded from the previous Government’s Transport Challenge Fund to help them develop such a specification.

  Subsequently the Level Playing Field Support earmarked for the A701 project, £2.016 million per annum, was transferred in agreement with the Council to help fund Midlothian’s Dalkeith Schools project as part of a Public Private Partnership. The overall funding package for the A701 project is therefore now a matter for the Council but the Transport Challenge Fund award of £2.5 million continues to be advanced to the Council on the agreed phased arrangements. No additional funds will be allocated to the Council for the project.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has full power to determine the criteria set out for the award of freight facilities grant and track access grant, or whether the said criteria are determined by another body.

Sarah Boyack: As announced by Henry McLeish in the House of Commons on 31 March 1998, the devolution settlement for railways includes the executive devolution of responsibility, within the GB policy framework, for the administration of Freight Facilities Grants and Track Access Grants. Under the Executive Devolution Order which took effect on 1 July 1999, the relevant functions are exercisable in Scotland by the Scottish Ministers as well as by the Secretary of State; and before the Scottish Ministers exercise those functions, they must first consult the Secretary of State. Applications under the scheme in Scotland are appraised under the same criteria as are used elsewhere in Great Britain.

Transport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what activities it is carrying out in the field of travel awareness and what progress is being made towards a Scottish travel awareness campaign.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive is to establish a Scottish travel awareness campaign to promote greater understanding of transport choices across Scotland. We have commissioned a short study of options for the implementation of the campaign and expect to make an announcement in the spring.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the review of Scottish airports and air services presently being undertaken by Environmental Resources Management, whether it will provide a list of all those bodies and organisations consulted and whether it will consult the Parliament before the review is concluded.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Airports and Air Services Study is expected to be submitted to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Scottish Executive by the end of February. An extensive consultation exercise has been undertaken including over 350 organisations involved in the use, planning, provision and support of air services in Scotland. A list of those consulted has been placed in SPICe.

  The policy issues emerging from the Scottish Study and other Regional Studies in the rest of the UK will be taken forward to form the basis of a formal UK consultation process which is expected to start this year. This will provide a context for responses by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament to those issues which impact on Scotland.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will make available to MSPs the latest drawings for the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will report to MSPs at the end of February. The report will include suitable visual material.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will make available to MSPs the building programme/schedule for the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will report to MSPs at the end of February. The report will include the latest position on programme.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will make available to MSPs cost analysis packages for all aspects of the planning, construction and fitting out of the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s report to MSPs at the end of February will include the latest position on costs.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Holyrood Project has an approved building warrant.

Sir David Steel: The City of Edinburgh Council’s Planning Committee considered the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s Notice of Proposed Development (NOPD) (Reserved Matters) Application on 15 September 1999 and approval was granted subject to certain conditions as reported to all MSPs on 29 September 1999.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether an independent assessment of the state of repair of the foundations of Queensberry House after the adjacent excavation has been carried out.

Sir David Steel: Such matters are the responsibility of our consultant engineers who continually monitor the structure of the building including foundations.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer when Enric Miralles will next visit Edinburgh in connection with the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: EMBT/RMJM is a joint venture company with offices in Edinburgh and Barcelona. Enric Miralles is in Edinburgh regularly to meet Parliament staff and is available as required for all SPCB Holyrood Building meetings. He attended our last meeting this week together with representatives of RMJM.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many visits to Enric Miralles’ Barcelona offices, or elsewhere other than Edinburgh, have been undertaken by members of the Holyrood Project team; which members of the Project team have been involved and what the cost is of such off-site visits.

Sir David Steel: EMBT/ RMJM the team that won the competition to design the Holyrood building is a joint venture company with offices in Edinburgh and Barcelona. The Holyrood project team who work directly for the Parliament are based in Edinburgh, deal primarily with the company’s Edinburgh office and visit Barcelona occasionally when it is an efficient and effective use of resources. The SPCB took responsibility for the project on 1 June 1999 and since then there have been three visits abroad, two to Barcelona and one to the Parliament in the Hague.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has identified a headline cost per MSP for the completed Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will report to MSPs at the end of February and this report will include details of the latest position on costs; a headline figure per MSP can be calculated thereafter.

Job Applications

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what questions are asked on application forms for jobs within the Parliament about an applicant’s health and why any such questions are asked.

Sir David Steel: : We ask applicants two question relating to health on our application forms. Firstly, whether they have a disability within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Secondly, if they have a disability/health problem which affects the work they can do. There is space on the form for applicants to provide further details. Applicants are advised that they need not answer these questions unless they wish to do so.

  The questions are asked to determine if an applicant’s disability is relevant to their ability to do the job - after a reasonable adjustment, if necessary. Asking about the effects of a disability is important in deciding what adjustments might need to be made.

Job Applications

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what measures are in place to prevent discrimination against people with epilepsy who apply for jobs within the Parliament.

Sir David Steel: We have a number of measures in place to prevent discrimination of any kind against people who apply for jobs in the Parliament.

  First and foremost, the Scottish Parliament is an equal opportunities employer. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunities for all of our staff irrespective of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin.

  This commitment is reflected in our recruitment practices which provide that all eligible people will have equality of opportunity for employment on the basis of their suitability for the work.

  At no point in the recruitment process is a candidate required to disclose any information about their health, including epilepsy, to anyone directly involved in the recruitment process. Health declarations are required after the interview stage, but these are considered by the health advisers to the Parliament and the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and are passed in sealed envelopes between the individual and the respective health advisers.